Turkish police have arrested 1,133 people since mass protests erupted last Wednesday following the detention of Ekrem İmamoğlu, an opposition leader and main rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The government accused İmamoğlu of corruption, but opponents say the charges were merely an excuse to remove him from the political scene.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Monday that some of the detainees have alleged links to 12 different terrorist organizations, though no clear evidence has been provided.
The government claims that demonstrations turned violent, citing injuries to police officers and the use of weapons such as fireworks and Molotov cocktails. However, the arrests have among political opponents heightened concerns over the suppression of dissent amid ongoing political turmoil in Turkey, where a series of political detentions have drawn increasing scrutiny.
In a statement on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Yerlikaya defended the crackdown, stating that some of those arrested face legal proceedings for 17 different offenses, including drug-related crimes, theft, fraud, sexual harassment, and intentional injury.
Turkish authorities have also been monitoring social media for posts deemed to incite unrest. According to Yerlikaya, authorities tracked more than 18.6 million posts related to the protests on X and determined that 34% came from bot accounts. The government has cited online content as grounds for detaining individuals under charges of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility” and “incitement to commit a crime.”
The crackdown has extended beyond demonstrators to include journalists covering the protests. The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) reported that at least 10 journalists, including freelancers and correspondents for AFP and Reuters, have been arrested.
Despite the unrest, İmamoğlu was elected as the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) candidate for the 2028 presidential election in a primary vote on Sunday. In a message from behind bars, he claimed that 15 million voters had participated in the selection process.
İmamoğlu was jailed on charges of running a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, and bid-rigging—charges he has denied.
Opposition members argue that the political turmoil stems from Erdoğan and his ruling party’s efforts to silence dissent and maintain power. The government, however, justifies the arrests as necessary for national security and counterterrorism measures. Statements from Yerlikaya suggest authorities will continue to crack down on protesters, framing the operation as a defense against threats to the country’s stability.
